The Faults In Izaya Orihaha
by Chaeturtle
Summary: Izaya is getting tired of the Tom & Jerry relationship he has with Shizuo. So he decides to go lower than low. He will make Shizuo fall in love with him. What could go wrong?
1. The Streets of Ikebukuro

There is a vending machine flying through the streets of Ikebukuro again. A handful of tourists look up in fear, but locals know it's just another of the usual fights of Shizuo Heiwajima and Izaya Orihara. It's nothing new as they're seen sprinting and fighting in the dark alleyways of the city. The locals are already used to this apocalyptic duo, honestly they know Ikebukuro wouldn't be the same without them, so they just shrug and continue walking. As long as they are not in danger of getting hit by a flying vending machine, there is nothing they can do anyway.

"I'll kill you, you damn flea!" Shizuo shouts in anger as he throws another vending machine at the informant. Unfortunately, the dark-haired man avoids the flying object by simply bending down and running the other way. Shizuo growls and pulls his hands into fists. Izaya smirks and glances at the man who is now chasing after him.

As adrenaline courses through his body, Izaya laughs, knowing exactly what the man dressed as a bartender is going to shout next.

Three.

Two.

One.

"IZAAAYAAA!" Yes, there it is. He loves making Shizuo crazy by simply breathing.

On the other hand, Shizuo swears it could have been a perfect day. No informants. No ugly fleas. But then he saw the bastard passing by him and smiling at the blonde without a single care in the world. In short, he _lost_ it. Throwing traffic signs, benches, and anything else he could get his hands on at the informant. Shizuo truly hated violence.

After just a few minutes of the chase, Izaya abruptly stops in his tracks. The debt-collector is in a blind rage by now, causing him to run straight into the hard surface of the dead end of the alleyway. He staggers back with a surprised look on his face.

Izaya smirks again. _What a fool._ Once Shizuo registers Izaya, he gets tunnel vision. That thought alone makes Izaya laugh blissfully.

Just this morning, the informant was thinking how to make his day entertaining, when suddenly an image of an angry Shizuo found its way into his mind. Which is how they ended up here, fighting and chasing one another. Again.

"Stupid Shizu-chan. You should be more careful. Wouldn't want my favourite monster to get hurt, after all," Izaya tells Shizuo while grinning playfully and pulling out his reliable knife.

"Who are you calling stupid, you damned flea. I thought I told you to never show your face in Ikebukuro again. Now come here so I can smash your head against this wall and go home." He starts taking slow, determined steps in Izaya's direction.

"Don't get so angry, Shizu-chan. I'm not exactly in the mood to have my head smashed against any walls, and certainly not by you," Izaya says with a noncommittal shrug.

"I'll get you in the mood, don't worry," Shizuo retorts roughly.

"Stop flirting, Shizu-chan," Izaya said with a playful wink.

"Flirting? With you? Don't flatter yourself, idiot," the blonde spat back at him.

They could continue in their bickering for hours, but Izaya is getting a little bored of this. Sure, a quick run around Ikebukuro with Shizuo chasing after him like a crazy animal is very tempting, but they've been doing that for years. It's always the same.

However, Izaya is not bored of Shizuo himself, but of their unalterable relationship. After all, Shizuo is unpredictable with a short fuse and a tremendous strength, some sort of superhuman, making him the ideal monster. Eternally entertaining. Izaya doesn't want to give him up.

So he decides to wind him up even further.

"Oh, but I am flattered, Shizu-chan. What are you going to do about it?" Izaya taunts.

"I'm going to kill you," Shizuo says matter-of-factly.

"Again? Boring. Would you mind being a little more creative?" The informant shrugs and glances around as if disinterested.

"Shut up. I'm going to kill you with that van and cut you into sushi with that little adorable knife of yours," Shizuo says as he points at the delivery van parked before him with a sneer.

"That's very ambitious of you, Shizu-chan. But I won't lose against you." Izaya lets out an exasperated sigh.

"I don't care about your opinion, flea. Give up, you have nowhere to run."

"Really? But what if I do. Would that make you angry, you monster? If I fled again? If you lost again?" says the informant as he jumps onto the van with little effort. He then reaches up to grab onto the ledge of the window on the building beside him and gives Shizuo a quick smirk before he continues to climb up the side of the building, laughing the whole way up to the roof.

Shizuo doesn't spare a second, of course, and soon he's bounding after Izaya. When they get to the top of the building, they don't even notice the beautiful panoramic view of Tokyo and the flickering night lights. "I may be a monster, flea. But at least I'm not you," Shizuo spits as he steps toward the informant.

"Ouch. That hurt, Shizu-chan. But are you sure about that? I'm not the one who makes little children scream." Shizuo grunts at this. The ugly flea sure knows how to get to him.

When Shizuo stays quiet, Izaya smiles before continuing. "I'm not the one who makes people shout in fear, flinching at the idea of being hit by a vending machine. And what's more Shizu-chan, I'm not the one who's scared of myself."

Shizuo stops. The flea is going lower than low. That pest. The nuisance of Tokyo! He strides a few steps towards Izaya while gritting his teeth and gripping his last remnants of self-control.

"You can say whatever you want, Izaya. I don't care about your words. I don't care about you. No one cares about you. You say you love humans, right? But humans hate you. They despise you. And it's your own fault."

Izaya doesn't even flinch. Nothing can hurt him."You're right, Shizu-chan. But what can I do? Humans are so very very interesting. It's difficult to stop playing with them, you see? And it's difficult to stop playing with you, too. Even though you're not a human," Izaya replies, watching Shizuo barrel toward him.

The blonde makes another low guttural sound in his throat and grabs Izaya by his trademark jacket, causing the dark-haired man to sneer. Why isn't he backing away? Well, Shizuo is not complaining. Maybe the idiot actually has a death wish.

"Nevertheless, I won't give you up. my favourite plaything, Shizu-chan. The strongest man in Ikebukuro. Who knows… maybe even the world!" Right now, Shizuo has Izaya at the edge of the roof and they're so close that Shizuo can smell the repulsive stench of the flea.

But Izaya doesn't show any sign attempting to get away from Shizuo, which for some reason starts to seriously piss him off.

Shizuo is going to throw the bastard out of here. Straight out of Japan.

"Goodbye, Izaya," Shizuo says before letting go of the back of Izaya's signature black jacket. He flinches subconsciously as Izaya plummets to the ground. He's not as happy about this as he should be. He should be ecstatic but he flinched… What did that mean? Whatever the flea has decided to believe, Shizuo is still human. He shakes subtly, closing his eyes as he waits for the sound of a body hitting the ground below.

Nothing happens.

Huh?

Shizuo opens one eye and peeks over the edge. No body. He sighs with… relief?

After Shizuo gains his focus again, he notices that there may not be a body, but there is a very much alive Izaya Orihara. Jumping like the flea he is on a black surface as though he's on a trampoline, all the while grinning like a crazy idiot. The black material looks like a sheet stretched between the buildings. Only one person is capable of doing that.

"Celty?" Shizuo calls.

Celty is his friend so why would she help the sneaky informant escape? Suddenly, someone taps him on the shoulder, causing Shizuo to turn around. He's faced with the black biker typing something on her PDA.

[Sorry... But I had to!]

"Did you just help the flea?! Seriously? SERIOUSLY?" Shizuo couldn't get angrier. He looks behind him to see if the informant is still there, but there is no trace of him.

"IZZZZZZAAYAAAA-KUUUUN!"

* * *

"Thank you, Celty," Izaya says while getting off the back of Dullahan's motorbike.

[Don't thank me. You paid me to protect you.]

[Plus, I didn't do it for you. I did it for Shizuo.]

"You did? But Shizu-chan hates me, why wouldn't you want to help him get rid of me? Aren't the two of you besties?" Izaya smiles mockingly.

[My job here is done. I have to go.]

"Wait, Celty!" Izaya shouts, grabbing the Dullahan by her arm before she can ride away. "Please, tell me. I won't tell anyone," Izaya pleads with a grin and a raised eyebrow. "I can't think of any reason why you would save me for the brute."

Celty thinks for a while. She takes off her helmet before pulling out her PDA again and Izaya smiles.

[Shizuo is not a monster. He hates violence.]

"So he keeps saying. Boring. Tell me something new, pleeeease." Izaya sighs impatiently, but after seeing how reluctant the Dullahan actually is, he continues almost begging.

"I know you care about the brute, Celty, and as suspicious as it may sound, I don't intend to fight with him anymore." Izaya raises his hands in defeat.

At this, Celty starts typing again and quickly shows Izaya her thoughts on the display.

[And I don't think Shizuo wants to fight you, either.]

"Interesting." Izaya tilts his head in thought.

[He may sound like he wants to kill you.]  
[And he might, one day. If you're not careful.]

"I'm always careful. You don't have to be so worried," Izaya interrupts with an amused smile, but Celty just shakes her head and continues writing.

[But I know he would regret killing you.]  
[Even if he doesn't realize it directly.]

Celty knows she shouldn't be talking to Izaya. He manipulates and plays with people like a puppeteer, but he and Shizuo are getting on her nerves by constantly fighting and trying to eliminate the other.

"Hmm. Is that so?" Izaya asks suspiciously.

[Izaya. Shizuo is not a murderer.]  
[Even if he kills you, it would destroy him.]  
[He's a good person, unlike you. Leave him alone!]

"Oh." Izaya is surprised, to say the least. The monster wouldn't be happy to kill him? But it certainly didn't look like that on the rooftop just minutes ago. "Hmm. As you can see, I don't believe you."

[He was angry. And he hates you. But I know him better than you do.]  
[And I don't care whether you believe me or not. Just leave Shizuo alone. Or I won't help you next time.]

[Even if you pay me.]

Celty puts away her PDA, replaces her helmet and drives away without so much as a glance at Izaya.

 _But I know he would regret killing you._

 _Even if he kills you, it would destroy him._

Her words echo in his mind as Izaya watches the Dullahan leave, contemplating what to do with this new information.

So the brute doesn't actually want to kill him?

Interesting.

* * *

Shizuo comes back home and sits on his couch. What the hell just happened?

Celty helping the flea? He should have known. That was the reason why the flea had been so confident and full of himself.

Shizuo smacks his fists on the table and breaks it. He'll kill him!

Kill him kill him kill him kill-

 _What?_

He remembers the moment he let go of Izaya.

He imagines seeing Izaya falling off the high building and hitting his head on the hard surface below.

He imagines the informant dead. And he doesn't like it.

Izaya is wrong. He's no monster.

He gathers his thoughts and shakes off his confusing feelings. Izaya is the true monster here. He deserves to be dead.

* * *

All these years Izaya spent so much time thinking of how to hurt, defeat and ruin Shizuo. He saw it all as a big game, where the only way to win was to crush the other. But what if the ultimate way to finally destroy Shizuo is to make him kill Izaya? Obviously, he can't actually let himself get killed by the brute. Maybe faking his death would do the trick.

But then what?

He'd just make Shizuo angrier than ever before, and they'd continue in their cat-and-mouse relationship, continuously hunting each other.

Thanks to Celty, this recent discovery disrupted Izaya's idea of the brute – he knows Shizuo has feelings. Maybe even sensitive ones. But he is taken aback that they might be affected by the informant, too.

"What is bothering you so much? You look like your brain is going to burst at any second?" Namie pries, flashing a impudent smile.

"Why do you ask, Namie dear? I'm as calm as ever," Izaya responds without showing or feeling nervousness. Although he admits he got a little carried away by his previous thoughts.

"Is it the strongest man in Ikebukuro again?" Namie continues to pry.

"In fact, yes." Izaya sighs, defeated.

"Did he finally punch some human empathy into you?" she asks snarkily.

"It sounds funny coming from you, Namie." Izaya retorts before snickering condescendingly.

The smile on Namie's face disappears. She doesn't hate working for the informant, but she doesn't like it either. After all, she needs to financially support Seiji. She's pretty sure Izaya doesn't understand just how much money he's paying her to be his snarky sidekick.

"Sure," Namie says shortly before turning back to work.

"Stop acting like I've just hurt your feelings. We both know you don't have any," Izaya scoffs.

"You haven't. And I do have feelings. They just don't apply to you," she sighs.

"Do you mean the twisted feelings for your brother, my dearest Namie? Those are not feelings. Those are obsessions. And they make you dangerous." Izaya smiles at his secretary's back, folding his arms before continuing, "but I could use some, let's call it - relationship advice."

The woman spins back to face Izaya with a curious expression, ignoring Izaya's attempt to make her angry by bringing Seiji into this. She knows her feelings for him are pure and genuine.

"Seriously? What are you planning to do with your beloved humans this time, Izaya?" Namie raises an eyebrow.

"Oh. Nothing for once. Nothing with my humans this time. But as you said, Shizu-chan is bothering me again. And I've just learned something very interesting about him that doesn't quite make sense to me..."

"Something doesn't make sense to you? That must be truly troublesome for you," Namie says overly sarcastic.

"I won't lie, Namie. It is," Izaya sighs. "But what if I told you that Shizu-chan doesn't want me dead? At least not by his own hands."

"Not everyone is like you, Izaya. Some people don't find pleasure in killing other humans," she responds evenly.

"Are you trying to say that I do? You'd be wrong, dear Namie. I do love humans, but Shizu-chan is not human. Therefore it's troublesome." He raises a finger to his chin in thought.

"So let's say he doesn't want to kill you: Why?" she inquires feigning interest.

Izaya shrugs. "I don't know exactly. The black biker said he'd regret killing me for whatever reason it may be."

"You got it wrong, Izaya. Stop being such an egoist. Do you think you know all of human nature? If you did, you'd know that Shizuo probably doesn't want to kill you because he doesn't want to kill _anyone_. He blindly threatens to kill you out of anger, but he's not a murderer. He's never killed anyone because if he did, he'd finally become the monster you oh-so much want him to be," Namie explains calmly.

"Then what should I do, Namie? I'm getting tired of my relationship with Shizu-chan. If he doesn't really want to kill me then what's the point in pissing him off? Shizu-chan is no fun anymore..." sighs Izaya relatively disappointed.

"Really? Getting tired of Shizuo? Whatever should we do... Could this be the start of peace in Ikebukuro again?" Namie's voice returns to its mocking and sarcastic tone.

"I didn't say I would let him go, Namie. I just need...something. Something different!" Izaya shouts as he looks through the window at the streets of Tokyo. "Tell me. Should I perhaps start tormenting him in some other way?"

"Like emotionally?" Namie asks without missing a beat.

"Before, I hadn't been considering the emotional side of our brute. But now..." Izaya pauses as he retreats into his thoughts.

"You can't be serious, Izaya. That's disgusting, even from you," Namie scoffs before an irritated frown appears on her lips.

"What?" asks the informant. He hasn't even said anything explicit yet. Just what does his secretary think he's planning to do? Before asking her, he waits for her to answer while taking a sip from his drink.

"Are you not planning to make him like you?" Namie asks confused, causing the dark-haired man to almost choke on his tea.

"Like me? Just how would I do that, Namie?" Izaya asks incredulously.

"So that isn't your plan? Never mind then." Namie waves a dismissive hand.

"No, please continue. I was thinking I'd fake my own death or something but your plan is so much better," Izaya answers with a sly grin.

"Hmm. Well, I think it's the only way to truly hurt him. Is it not? You would essentially turn his whole world upside down," Namie explains.

"Interesting." Izaya nods.

"If you make him like you, or even more... Make him develop deeper feelings than that..." Namie continues, holding Izaya's curious gaze. "There would be a countless ways to finally destroy him, wouldn't there?"

Namie is right. If Izaya could make Shizuo like him- no, fall for him? He'd have so much more information to work with! If Shizu-chan really had something resembling human nature, then playing with his emotions might work better than anything he has ever done before.

A slow grin spreads across Izaya's face. "I was wrong about you, Namie."

"What do you mean?" Namie asks with a heavy sigh, bored with their conversation.

Izaya looks at his confused assistant and folds his arms again before grinning widely. "You really _are_ evil."

* * *

This chapter has been rewritten as of 14th of August. I hope you liked it! Did you? Please tell me! ;) Don't forget to leave a review and have a wonderful day!


	2. Get ready, since you're mine now

**Chapter 2**

It's another day in Ikebukuro and Shizuo and Tom are making their way into the heart of the city where all the people are gathering. The debt-collector sighs tiredly and runs his hand through his hair.

"I have a terrible headache today. How many more people are we supposed to pay a visit to today, Tom?" Shizuo mutters.

"Not many. Don't worry," Tom responds silently, hoping that Shizuo will control himself today.

Working with the blonde isn't that difficult, which many find hard to believe. Shizuo is a good friend and to be honest, Tom doesn't really like when most people judge him for his tremendous strength and short-tempered personality. In their line of work, Shizuo is the perfect person to get the job done, but Tom still prays they won't run into a certain dark-haired informant today. Shizuo would immediately run off to chase after him and Tom would lose sight of his blonde counterpart again.

Losing sight of Shizuo because of Izaya makes Tom's job doubly frustrating. Facing the debtors alone, without his bodyguard doesn't usually end well.

"Plus, today's clients should be fairly easy to deal with," Tom continues. "Nothing you can't handle. Oh, and Shizuo, I forgot to tell you that our boss wants you to -" Tom turns around to face Shizuo, only to find he's talking to empty space.

Huh? But he was walking behind him just seconds ago!

A nervous laugh escapes Tom's mouth while he's looking around for the other man. Shizuo is not some little kid that gets lost the second you turn away, so there is only one explanation. Only one place left for Shizuo to have disappeared without a word.

Tom covers his forehead with his palm and waits for some kind of ruckus or explosion coming from nearby alleys. As usual, he is not disappointed as he hears Shizuo's signature "Iiii-zaaa-yaaa" echo through the city. Tom sighs heavily as he continues to the next appointment alone.

* * *

"Izaaayaa-kuuun," Shizuo growls after the informant. "Give it up, flea. I'll always find you… and you won't run away from me this time." He pauses to chuckle and grin darkly to himself. "I'll make sure of it."

"Oh will you, Shizu-chan?" Izaya asks mockingly, though he's still nowhere to be found.

Moments ago, when Shizuo was talking to Tom, he saw a familiar dark figure walking through the city amidst a group of people as if it wasn't any problem at all. Stupid bastard. Just thinking about the dark-haired man makes Shizuo want to beat that smug smirk that haunts him. The idea that he thinks about the flea in general makes Shizuo want to puke.

Speaking of wanting to puke, he had already started to smell the stinking scent only the flea is capable of emanating. So, he instinctively followed after Izaya, leaving Tom to rant to himself. But before he could even do anything, the informant disappeared into a dark alley, only talking to Shizuo in a mocking manner from a hidden place that Shizuo had yet to find.

Shizuo lifts a vending machine above his head effortlessly before answering to the flea's annoying voice, "I'll find you. And I'll fucking rip you apart."

"I wouldn't be so sure if I were you, Shizu-chan," Izaya says cheerfully.

"You coward... I hate you!" Shizuo bellows.

"Don't be so impatient, Shizu-chan. Good things come to those who wait," the informant retorts as he jumps down silently from the ledge behind Shizuo to sneak up behind him.

Izaya swore to himself that he would avoid fighting with Shizuo again in order to fulfill his plan. But just because he needs to confuse the brute as much as possible, it doesn't mean he can stop himself from poking the beast.

"Hello there, Shizu-chan," Izaya says in Shizuo's ear as he taps on the monster's shoulder before leaping back to a safe distance.

As soon as Shizuo turns and sees Izaya's smirking face, his nerves almost explode.

"Izaya. IZAYA!" Shizuo shouts furiously and walks towards the information broker with a vending machine in his hands. However, Izaya doesn't make an attempt to escape Shizuo's angry form, instead choosing to stand his ground and wait for the blonde to come closer.

"Quit smiling, you idiot, and stop messing with me. Get out of Ikebukuro before I do the world a favor and kill you." Shizuo adjusts the vending machine in his hands, getting ready to throw it.

Izaya smirks. He knows he is twisted and screws with many people's lives as though they are his playthings. But Shizuo is different. His plan has to work no matter what. With other people, he can easily mess with them without even doing anything, only sitting back in the shadows and doing all his evil from there.

"Do you really want me to leave that much, Shizu-chan?" Izaya answers with a mock disbelief on his face.

"YES!" screams the blonde as he throws the heavy object from his arms up to the air. It misses his target as it lands behind Izaya, so Shizuo opts to grab the informant by his jacket and beat him to a pulp instead of crushing him.

"As you wish, Shizu-chan," replies Izaya with a bored expression as he lets himself be dragged by the brute. Shizuo presses him against a wall and lifts him up by the collar. Normally, Izaya is very good at running away from Shizuo, but he has decided to play with him just a little longer.

"What do you mean by that, flea?" Shizuo asks, frowning.

"I mean that I'll disappear if that's really what you want," Izaya says as he turns his head to the side.

"Of course that's what I want," Shizuo says and tightens his grip on the informant. "I hate you."

 _And I hate you_ Izaya thinks to himself, but he needs to get this right. He needs to start acting.

"-but I know there is always something fishy behind everything you say," adds the bodyguard and looks into Izaya's dark eyes.

In the dim lights of the street lamp, Shizuo notices Izaya looks kind of lost all of a sudden. And ... is he nervous? Or scared of Shizuo?! No, that doesn't make any sense. Why would he suddenly feel like that?

"Kill me then," Izaya says plainly.

"Huh?" The blonde is totally bewildered. He can't even reply properly, but that's exactly what Izaya wants. Shizuo has always been extremely lonely, due to his own fear of hurting others accidentally, his strength pushing everyone away from him in the end.

In order to make his plan work, Izaya needs to push this side of Shizuo to the brink.

"What did you say?!" asks the blonde in another wave of astonishment.

"Kill me." _Really, Shizu-chan. How stupid can you be?_ Izaya adds silently.

When Shizuo sees the informant won't make a move to escape or attack him, the blonde steps back from Izaya. Shizuo stares at him blankly with his mouth hanging open slightly.

Shizuo remembers last night and how he dropped Izaya. He remembers the brief feeling of guilt and the possible consequences of his actions – is he really capable of killing a person? Even if it's someone like Izaya? Shizuo is fully aware of the fact that he could never be seen as a normal person, but is he really the monster Izaya seems to turn him into?

"Don't tempt me! I'll do it! Because it's just that easy, isn't it?! And you're not even going to fight back?" Shizuo shouts angrily.

"That's right," I pause to give him a moment to strike. "What's wrong, Shizu-chan? You told me you want me to disappear, so this is your chance. Take it."

But Shizuo just stands there, almost unsure of himself.

"Hmm. I thought so. You can't." Izaya scoffs.

"Huh?!" Shizuo shouts, letting out his frustration and confusion as he throws his fists at the informant. As usual, Izaya dodges quickly and manages to avoid the punch.

"I told you to take the chance when you could, didn't I, Shizu-chan?"Izaya says simply as he jumps on the nearest car. "You won't be hearing from me again for some time though. But, taking everything into consideration, I'll miss you."

Seeing that flea's annoying smile erases every last doubt Shizuo had about killing the bastard – after all, maybe that's really who he is. A monster.

"Don't you dare escape me again, idiot!" Shizuo bellows as he starts toward Izaya again.

"I'd be glad to stay and chat with you a little longer but, unfortunately, I have other important things to attend to. Goodbye, Shizu-chan." Izaya smirks and turns away from Shizuo.

With that, Izaya is gone. Or actually – flees, as he notices Shizuo removing a street lamp to fling it after the disappearing informant.

* * *

Izaya was testing Shizuo. Of course he was. Since he couldn't kill him like all the other times, he really needs his plan to work perfectly. And, so far, he believed it was going pretty well. Although, honestly, it was going awfully slow. Almost boringly slow.

He has come to the conclusion that fighting with Shizuo was to no use anymore. Izaya couldn't wait to wage emotional war on the brute. That will be so interesting. But it wasn't a lie when Izaya had said he'd actually miss the brute. And it _has_ already been two weeks. _Maybe it's finally time to make another move_ , Izaya thinks to himself as he strides to the chessboard.

With a smirk, Izaya knocks down the white king chess piece with a flick of a finger.

* * *

 _You won't be hearing from me again for some time though._

It's been two weeks - two weeks and eight hours, to be exact - and there has been no trace of the flea. Sure. Izaya had kindly informed Shizuo that they probably won't be seeing each other so soon, but this had been going on for far too long.

His hands are itching. His palms are sweating.

 _IzayaIzayaIzayaIzayaIzaya._

 _Where are you?_

He needs to hit something – and he needs it to be the flea. Or else, Shizuo doesn't know what he might do.

* * *

Two weeks and twelve hours. It's a night-time in Ikebukuro. The sky is dark but the city is always alive. It's never truly dark.

Two weeks, twelve hours and one minute and Shizuo recently hasn't felt more alive than right now. He catches a sight of the bastard again! Finally. He's going to crush him this time and he doesn't care who on these crowded streets can see it.

But it appears that the information broker hasn't noticed Shizuo yet. He is talking on his phone with his back carelessly turned to the blonde.

Shizuo decides to follow Izaya as he heads toward the more vacant area, where Izaya seems to be heading. He tries to overhear the conversation Izaya is having with the person on the other side of the call, but it seems to be in a foreign language. Maybe Russian?

Enough of that. Shizuo grabs the old traffic sign next to him and throws it after the informant – not to hit him, but to make his presence known.

"Where have you been hiding, idiot?" Shizuo growls.

Izaya freezes. After a moment, he hangs up the phone and turns to look at the brute in complete surprise.

"Long time no see, Shizu-chan," Izaya taunts.

"That's damn right. Which part of the city have you been terrorizing this time, Flea?" Shizuo snaps as he grabs the closest object - a bicycle.

Izaya sighs. From here on out, things will be very different.

"None."

"What? None? Don't make me laugh, Izaya. You don't just take holidays like normal people," says the blonde as he tosses the bicycle at Izaya. The informant flinches as he manages to avoid it by millimeters, which is very unusual of him. _What's up with the flea these days...?_ Shizuo wonders.

"That's right. I don't. Anyway, I can't talk to you right now. See you later, Shizu-chan." Izaya turns to leave, but he finds his hand being suddenly grabbed by the blonde, not letting him leave.

Izaya raises his eyebrows.

"Again? Last time you fled without another word, and now you're going to do the same again?" Shizuo asks irritably as he glares at Izaya, confusion clouding his eyes.

"Are you disappointed?" Izaya blurts out as he looks at their still clasped hands.

"Hell no. I've finally had some moments of peace," he responds curtly.

"I'm glad. Now let go of me," Izaya demands, expression uneasy as he makes an attempt to free his hand, to no avail.

"No!" Shizuo snarls.

After a moment, they both finally grasp the situation they got themselves into. They look into each other's eyes in surprised silence.

"Yo, Shizuo!" Shizuo immediately lets go of Izaya's hand and looks at the intruder of their 'conversation'. It's Kadota with his little gang of brats.

"Oh! it's Mr. Shizuo and Izaya again! Are you two finally together?!" asks Erika excitedly, but Kadota silences her before she gets even more carried away.

"Actually, Shizuo? We just wanted to let you know, that's Walker's bike you've just destroyed..."

"What? Shut up!" Shizuo replies irritated as he turns back to grab the dark-haired man again.

"Izaya..." Shizuo says to the empty space where the information broker had been.

He grits his teeth as he resigns not to follow after Izaya. No way in hell is he going to do what the flea wants. He's going home, ignoring Kadota and his annoying brats in the process.

* * *

This continues for another two weeks. Izaya refuses to fight Shizuo whenever they meet. He just flees every time they see each other.

The blonde normally would have thought it's because Izaya is scheming something. But the almost startled glances he makes whenever he catches a glimpse of Shizuo are starting to confuse the hell out of him.

It doesn't matter whether Shizuo is hurling a trash can at the dark-haired man, or whether he's throwing various insults at him - which isn't really his favourite method of fighting. Hell, he's doing whatever he can to get a reaction from the informant, but the latter just runs away. Disappearing as if he was never there in the first place.

One time, he had even dropped his favourite knife while trying to escape Shizuo in an uncharacteristically sloppy and reckless manner. It's no longer the parkour-skilled Izaya who always manages to get on Shizuo's nerves with his cheeky smile and intriguing eyes. It's as though Izaya is a completely different person.

People presume Shizuo Heiwajima is the strongest man in Ikebukuro and the only one who can somehow equal his power is Izaya. But when even Izaya runs away from him, does that make Shizuo the only monster left?

* * *

[So, are you telling me Izaya hasn't made any attempts to annoy you since that night?]

"Yeah! What does he think he's doing?! Idiot." Shizuo asks, completely baffled.

[Shinra, have you talked to Izaya recently?] Celty types and shows her PDA to the doctor.

"No, Celty. Actually, it's been pretty long since the last time I saw him, let alone talk to him!"

Shizuo sighs. He's desperate and he's ashamed to admit it.

"Shizuo, what exactly happened the first time Izaya stopped acting his normal self?" Shinra asks with a raised eyebrow.

 _Right. His normal asshole-self,_ Shizuo thinks to himself before answering. "Well, I mean- We fought as usual. And he pissed me off. As usual. But..." Shizuo stops. Does he really regret almost killing Izaya? Talking about Izaya's possible death by his hand actually scares him, which is very unlike Shizuo.

He sighs again. Louder this time.

"But I might have pushed him off a building..." There it is. Shizuo is feeling guilty! This is all the damned flea's fault.

"Ouch. But, I can understand that.." Shinra nods knowingly.

"Oh can you?" Shizuo asks rhetorically with a raised eyebrow.

Shinra ignores him and continues. "But I mean, Shizuo… This isn't the first time you have almost killed Izaya, or severely hurt him for that matter. What's different this time?"

Shizuo thinks for a while. Shinra is right. Everything is wrong and different.

"And what's more," Shinra continues his speech when Shizuo stays quiet. "Many people attempt to kill Izaya on a daily basis, and that's all thanks to his own doing. I doubt he would overthink this one time and get depressed about it. It doesn't just make any sense. Celty, what do you think?"

Celty freezes. What does she think? She doesn't know. Izaya paid her to protect him that night, it shouldn't have been anything more.

[Everyone! I have to admit to something...]  
[I talked to Izaya after that night.]  
[And I may have accidentally said something that might have made him act this way.]  
[Sorry.]

Why should Celty feel sorry? And why does Shizuo feel like he needs to know what she said? He shouldn't be upset that the ugly bastard is finally avoiding him and Celty shouldn't apologise for making that happen. It doesn't matter what she did or didn't do. Dammit.

Shizuo gets annoyed for many reasons when it comes to the flea. But right now, he's mostly annoyed because he wants to win against Izaya in a fair fight. Not this confusing, psychological warfare bullshit that Izaya seems to playing at.

"Don't be sorry, Celty. What did you say to him?" Shizuo says as he fixes his sunglasses on his face.

[I told him you'd feel sorry if he died.]

"WHAT? But I wouldn't!" Shizuo responds quickly and almost loses his temper.

"It's okay Shizuo. Calm down and let her continue!" Shinra screams as he hugs Celty protectively.

[I told him you would regret it only if you were the one who killed him. And I know you would feel guilty if you did, wouldn't you?! But I only said it because I wanted him to leave you alone!] types Celty from the suffocating arms of a clinging Shinra.

It's true that Shizuo doesn't want to use his power to kill people, but Izaya might have taken it the other way around. Does he really think Shizuo doesn't want to kill him? Is that the reason why he's currently avoiding him?

Or worse: Is he touched by that idea? Or is the opposite? Has he changed his mind about Shizuo? Does he not want to annoy him anymore?

Even if that's the case, there is no way Izaya suddenly wouldn't want to hurt Shizuo. Or is it that Izaya is finally bored with him? But he framed him for multiple crimes, messed with his life and tried manipulating him in every way possible, so why would he give up now... There is no way. There is just no _reason_.

Or is there?

* * *

The informant bounces joyfully in his office chair. Everything is going according to plan. _Shizu-chan must be so confused everytime I "accidentally run into him, act like a hurt puppy, then avoid him entirely_ , _"_ Izaya thinks to himself with a self-satisfied smile.

This is the perfect opportunity for the next step. He picks his phone up off the table and dials a number.  
After a few moments, the person on the other side finally answers.

"Hello, Shinra? I have a favor to ask of you. Yes. Could you please give Shizu-chan my address? And don't make it too obvious," smiles Izaya.

He's going to make Shizu-chan fall. And he's going to make him fall hard.

* * *

 _Thank you to everyone who has decided to read this second chapter after the mess that is chapter 1! That chapter is *cough cough* in the process of editing XD But the reason for that is; I finally have a beta reader! YAAY, and it's the wonderful Kanra-chaaan who writes her own ff on wattpad which you can check out under her name!  
_ _  
Don't forget to have a wonderful day ;) and see you with chapter three very, very soon._


	3. Something is out of place

After his talk with Celty and Shinra, Shizuo is strolling mindlessly through the city thinking about the dark-haired informant. The streets are buzzing with life. He looks at the crowded stores, tall dark buildings and floodlit billboards with an irritated frown on his face. The loud music is deafening and all the chatter of the people surrounding him is annoying, as always. Everything is normal. Except for one thing. Or rather – one person. Izaya still hasn't shown his face in Ikebukuro.

Shizuo doesn't understand why he feels so annoyed by that fact. He doesn't understand why the city feels so empty without the meddling flea. He rummages through his pockets, looking for Izaya's knife that he had dropped several days ago.

Shizuo has kept it with him since. Pathetic, really. He doesn't even know what he should do with it. Should he return it to Izaya? But the bastard hasn't bothered to look for it, so maybe he'll just keep it until he comes back. If he ever _does_ come back. Even then, Izaya would probably still try to stab him with it, although Shizuo is not so sure anymore.

 _Is the flea seriously going to continue acting this way?_ Shizuo sighs, in deep thought.

He continues to look for the knife but instead, he finds a crumpled piece of paper with a scribbled handwriting on it. The blonde looks at the paper in confusion.

 _Shinjuku 3 Chome-1-13; 24_ _th_ _floor_

 _Across from Sompo Japan Head Office  
I thought you might need this! _

_\- Shinra_

Shinjuku? Why would Shizuo need to go to Shinjuku? The blonde suddenly stops, dazed.

The flea lives there.

Why the hell would Shinra think Shizuo wanted to go see the flea?!

Sure, Shizuo admits he went to see Celty because he had wanted to talk about Izaya, not _with_ Izaya. His behavior in the past few weeks has been particularly suspicious and Shizuo is sure the informant is up to something. Hell, his whole presence had been nothing short of unusual for weeks on end and now he's gone completely?

He contemplates what to do with Izaya's address. Maybe Shinra knows something Shizuo doesn't. In that case, should he really go to visit the flea?

He thought the doctor was Izaya's friend – or something resembling a friend. He didn't think Shinra would carelessly drop his address into Shizuo's pocket. Wouldn't it be too risky and dangerous for the informant? Shinra has never offered to tell Shizuo where exactly the flea lived before, and Shizuo never asked.

The blonde starts walking angrily again. He doesn't even pay attention to where he's heading as the people on the sidewalk shift to the side in fear to make space for Shizuo to get through. All but one person.

"Hey, Shizuo! I was just looking for you!" Kadota says hurriedly.

 _Seriously, why is this guy everywhere these days?_ Shizuo asks himself as he slips the paper with Izaya's address back to his front pocket.

"What do you want?" Shizuo asks forcefully. Right now, he is in no mood to chat with anyone, but Kadota just frowns and attempts to continue before someone interrupts them.

Two someones. Erika and Walker appear out from behind Kadota's back.

Erika starts shouting first, "Oh, Shizuo! You have to save him! Please!" She then tries to cling to Shizuo's arm.

The blonde frowns at her as he tries to calm her down, "What are you talking about? Save who?"

"It's Izaya! Please, Shizuo, you have to hurry! You have to-" Kadota suddenly puts his hand over Erika's mouth to muffle her high-pitched ranting.

"Shizuo, we just saw Izaya two blocks from here. He was getting beaten up pretty badly… I didn't think you'd want to know, but…" Kadota starts but isn't able to finish his answer as Erika starts flailing her arms around aggressively.

"We didn't want to pry, but this one just dragged us here to find you!" Walker adds as he points his finger at the angry and flustered girl in Kadota's arms.

"And why should it interest me?" Shizuo asks in amusement, "the flea can die for all I care."

So the bastard finally appeared. That thought is strangely comforting to Shizuo, but he decides not to pay too much attention to this sudden and odd feeling.

Erika bites into Kadota's palm to get him to let her go. He yelps before inspecting his injured hand and sending a death glare in Erika's direction.

"But Shizuo! I know you care about him! You two belong together. At this rate, he'll die! I know you care, so please! You have to go to him. You won't let him die. I just know it!" Erika rants as she tries persuading the blonde while pulling him by his hand, attempting to lead him in the direction from which they came.

She starts explaining Izaya's current location, but Shizuo interrupts her babbling.

"Look, you three. You have to stop. I don't care, okay? I don't care what the flea is up to. I don't care if some gang beats him up. Hell, they'd be doing me a favor! And most importantly, I don't care whether he lives or dies," Shizuo says, starting to scoff sardonically until he notices Erika's sad and hurt expression.

"What?" Shizuo asks, his expression clearly bothered, "What did you expect? That I would come to his rescue? Why would I suddenly decide to do that? Haven't you noticed that we've been fighting all this time? I've been wanting to kill him for years. Nothing has changed! You must be crazy for thinking otherwise. Especially you, Karisawa."

Erika and Walker just stare at Shizuo in utter confusion. Even Kadota is looking at him with a raised eyebrow.

The blonde sighs again, closing his eyes for a moment in an attempt to calm himself. _Really, why has everyone decided to act so absurdly these days?_ Shizuo thinks as he turns to leave.

Why should he bother saving Izaya? He has been ignoring Shizuo for weeks. The girl is delusional, and he has had enough. If the flea really decided to get himself killed, then so be it. There is no reason for Shizuo to waste his time and energy on the dark-haired man.

And in the end, Izaya believes that he's a monster. So why should Shizuo prove him wrong? Why should he use his abilities to help the flea...?

 _Damn you, Karisawa…_ Shizuo releases an exasperated groan and puts a cigarette to his lips after taking a deep breath. "Where did you say he is again?"

Erika claps her hands together and bounces happily before she starts explaining Izaya's location again.

* * *

With a defeated look on his face, Shizuo continues his brisk walk in the direction Erika pointed out. And mind you, he's not doing this for the flea. All his life, people have been scared of him, except for a few special ones, like the flea or Erika. He knows he's no hero nor could he ever be seen as one.

But being asked to use his strength to help someone? That felt quite good. For once, someone had come to him not because they wanted him to destroy something, or to beat someone up, but because they wanted his help. And the look on Erika's face... She was beyond joyful! How could he turn away?

Yes. That must be it. He's saving the flea out of pure selfishness. He's doing this so he can feel good about himself.

The blonde stops when he arrives to his destination and tilts his head in confusion. Izaya should be here. Shizuo starts looking around. He doesn't have to look for the informant for too long though, because soon he spots a suspicious looking crowd in a not so distant dark corner, and one of them is wearing a familiar fur trimmed black jacket.

Izaya is surrounded by a group of angry looking people equipped with bats and various other objects ready to attack. He's pressed to the dirty ground next to trash cans by someone of whom Shizuo assumes is the leader of the gang.

The man laughs maniacally as he presses his foot onto the informant's cheek.

Shizuo can't say he's surprised, nor can he deny he's actually enjoying this. He almost laughs at the sight before him.

"So what is Orihara of Shinjuku doing here in Ikebukuro? The last time we met, you fucked with me pretty badly. I lost all of my money because of you. And you're going to pay for it now," snarls the man above him as he kicks Izaya's stomach.

The flea is seriously asking for all of this. Izaya doesn't deserve anyone's help, so the blonde considers leaving again. He almost takes a step back to disappear from the view, if not for that kick in the stomach.

Shizuo frowns. He really hates violence.

"Hey, you!" Someone shouts.

Shizuo freezes for a second. Are they referring to him?

"Yes, I'm talking to you, bartender. What are you spying on us for?" one of the gang members shouts and spits on the ground.

The bodyguard sighs, annoyed. Fuck. Too late to doubt anything now. He's going to have to inadvertently save the flea's ass.

Shizuo turns to look at the man who is trying to look intimidating, and smirks. This may actually be fun.

The blonde quickly looks over at Izaya, who has the beginning black eye and his face is covered with cuts and scrapes. He seems to be out of it – he can barely move, and the man hovering over him kicks him to the stomach one more time.

"What are you looking at, idiots? Stop him! We can't have any witnesses!" shouts the one who has his foot on Izaya's face.

The blonde laughs darkly. Since Izaya hasn't been to Ikebukuro for days, he hasn't been in a good fight in a while. These guys will be a good opportunity to finally get back into shape.

"I'm sorry, but this asshole is mine to kill," Shizuo growls and strolls over to a nearby street lamp. He grips it easily with one hand and rips it straight out of the ground.

* * *

After a flurry of fists, Shizuo starts to regain his focus. Just as he pauses to take a deep breath he feels something thud against the back of his head.

Did someone seriously hit him with a brick? He holds onto the back of his head, feeling something wet and sticky.

Blood? Damn, it actually stings a little. He's out of practice.

"You idiots…" Shizuo mutters angrily as he spots another man picking up a new brick from the ground.

 _People never learn_ , the blonde thinks to himself before he proceeds to rip up another lamp post.

Someone chuckles at that – and of course, it's the flea. Izaya is trying to sit up from his previous position on the ground while watching the show with a slight grin. That doesn't go unnoticed by Shizuo.

However, the blonde just laughs to himself softly. These guys must be truly crazy for thinking they would stand a chance against him without having at least a dozen armed people against him. Even then, they'd have a hard time.

Plus, the blonde has Izaya pissing him off in the background, making everything all the more dangerous for them. The rest of the people just look at Shizuo in a disturbed awe as he swings the lamp at them with a little to no effort. The bodyguard can feel his anger vibrate as he observes their frightened faces.

"If it isn't my precious Shizu-chan. Unexpectedly coming to my rescue?" Izaya interrupts Shizuo's thoughts with a giggle as he props himself up against the trash cans.

"Shup up, you pest," Shizuo retorts with irritation in his voice that is impossible to hide. He instantly regrets coming here.

Izaya chuckles once more, and Shizuo realizes that he almost forgot how that noise sounded to his ears. Shizuo is so distracted by the flea and his innate need to punch his face, that he gets caught off guard by the hoard of gang members that rush him suddenly. Shizuo barely dodges their attempts to attack him with their knives and bats.

Fuck, the flea is distracting! He almost didn't have time to react.

The blonde finally decides to find the nearest heavy object he can find and throw it at the assholes. Half of them run away in fear before Shizuo can rip up another street lamp. Even so, there are still a few of them left. But before he can turn his full attention on them, Shizuo notices in his peripheral vision that the flea is leaving quietly from behind the trash cans.

 _The bastard is going to sneak away..._ Shizuo scoffs at the realization that all the dirty work will be left for him to handle by himself. Shizuo shrugs subtly. Well, he already wasted his energy coming here, he might as well finish it properly.

"Don't let him leave!" someone shouts at the rest of the members as he too notices Izaya trying to leave. No one pays attention to him as everyone is watching in utter disbelief as Shizuo fights their comrades with a bench.

Shizuo turns quickly to look at Izaya's disappearing back. In the process, he notices someone creeping up behind him. It's the guy who had beaten Izaya to the ground and kicked his gut continuously. Shizuo is starting to see red.

He's going to rip this one apart.

* * *

 **NOTES:** Thank you for the reviews :3 it really means a lot, you guys can't imagine! What did you think of this chapter? Did you like it? Are you excited for the next one? Aren't Erika and Kadota meddling with the situation a little too much *insert evil laugh* Tell me! Thank you for reading, and as always - thank you to my beautiful beta reader Kanra-chan ^-^


	4. Find Them And Follow

Izaya sighs, leaning forward. He peeks down at the show playing out before him. Shizu-chan is truly crazy. He's ripping through everything and everyone he can get his hands on, like the monster he is. Izaya would feel sorry for them, if not for the annoying pain in his stomach.

Of course, he had paid the gang to beat him, but it still hurt quite a lot. Though, he can't deny that it was indeed his fault that the gang's boss lost his money.

That was probably the reason why they had been so rough with him. This should serve enough as a payback though. He shouldn't be hearing from them anymore and neither should Shizuo, so everything will turn out fine.

To be honest, Izaya really didn't expect the brute to be tricked so early in the plan. But this was only a further proof as to how unpredictable Shizu-chan was. And Izaya can't deny that actually being rescued is a sort of compliment to him, too.

He involuntarily smiles at thought before spinning around on the edge of a roof. At this rate, he should be able to steal a kiss from Shizuo pretty quickly.

While watching the brute fight, Izaya had to admit that he looked pretty fascinating. His muscles stretching as he lifts cars and street signs, and his bartender suit almost ripping apart in the process. He sighs with another smile. Kissing, in itself, wasn't all that interesting to Izaya, but with Shizu-chan? Just what will he taste like?

Izaya shivers.

He imagines his fingers running softly through the bleached hair, his mouth closing the distance between his and Shizuo's. Their hips rubbing gently as Shizuo grips his waist, and his teeth nibbling and biting roughly into Izaya's lower lip.

It's going to be amazing!

Before he can dive any deeper into the fantasy, Izaya stills when he notices the blonde staggering away from the scene; everyone else already passed out or ran away.

Shizuo is bleeding from a wound behind his neck and his knuckles are bruised and battered even worse than Izaya's.

The informant's smile disappears as he shakes his head. Shizuo's wounds heal quickly anyway, so there is no reason to worry. Well, that is if he really was worried in the first place.

 _It wouldn't hurt to chat with the brute for a bit_ , Izaya thinks to himself as he begins to make his way back down to the ground, jumping from the roof. He landed with a slight hiss as he's reminded of the fact that he was beat to hell not too long ago.

He creeps behind Shizuo's slouched form at a safe distance watching him walk for a few minutes.

Izaya doesn't want Shizuo to see him yet, so he decides to stalk him until they turn the corner and reach... a dead end?

"Stop playing games, Flea..." Shizuo mutters and turns around to finally face the informant, "I know you're following me."

Huh? Izaya freezes with his mouth hanging open slightly. Surely, Shizuo couldn't possibly hear Izaya's quiet steps behind him, so how come he was able to notice him anyway?

Shizuo waits for an answer, but after he sees nothing is coming out of the informant's mouth, he just scoffs and turns back to leave.

"Nothing gets past you, does it, Shizu-chan," the informant answers and Shizuo stops in his tracks.

A slow smile spread across Izaya's face as he found the humor in his current situation. He is reminded that he can't predict, let alone control, Shizu-chan's actions like he can with his precious humans..

Izaya starts to follow the blonde as he limps away from him again with a crooked scowl on his face.

"What do you want from me, idiot?" Shizuo responds to Izaya's annoying smile without turning back to him and sighs tiredly before continuing, "You're right, okay?! Celty told me."

Huh?! Izaya freezes for the second time since his short interaction with the brute started.

Shizuo turns back to Izaya completely oblivious to his frozen posture. "So, could you _please_ stop following me around?! First you avoid me, now you won't leave me alone. You have been acting so weird around me ever since that night. You've been confusing the fuck out of me all this time, and that's probably what you wanted. Well, the fun is over. I came to help you after Kadota's annoying brats persuaded me, but don't think too much of it, Flea! I didn't do it for you and I won't bother next time."

The bodyguard gets angry as he watches Izaya's grin slowly disappear while a sudden surprise takes over his face.

Izaya continued to underestimate him. Not only that, but Shizuo had him almost completely figured out. He notices the subtle inquisitive frown on Shizu's face, realizing the blonde's surprise at Izaya's expression.

Maybe he hasn't lost yet. Actually... this might be a good thing.

Izaya smirks darkly. This is going to be way more fun than he had ever expected.

"Just what are you talking about, protozoan. Did you miss me or what?" Izaya replies snarkily, ignoring Shizuo's attempts to leave him alone.

"What? I'm too tired to deal with your stupid mind games and bullshit right now. I don't want to kill you, okay? Well, I do. But apparently, I'm too weak to do it. Or cowardly. Not that I admit defeat, but whatever suits you. This is pointless, so stop," Shizuo sighs tiredly with an evident defeat in his voice.

"But you're wrong, Shizu-chan. These are not mind games. I'm not playing with you," Izaya answers while raising his hand to calm him down, and tries for his wicked grin not to give him away.

"Why have you been avoiding me, then?" Shizuo asks in confusion.

Shit. Izaya struggles to figure out what the blonde wants to hear by studying his expressions, but he can't find anything.

He tries to hide it with a careful smirk.

"Because Shizu-chan is being annoying," Izaya responds with a grin and observes Shizuo's bewildered gaze in a slight amusement.

"What? I'm the one who's being annoying?" Shizuo asks again, louder this time.

Izaya may not predict every single one of the brute's reactions, but one thing's for sure; there is a thin line between a calm and peace-loving Shizuo and a very angry and pissed off Shizuo. And Izaya has made it his current life mission to continuously tread that line.

"You heard me, protozoan. I can't stand you, and the fact you're not even capable of hurting me anymore is even more annoying. And you've come to my rescue. Why, Shizu-chan? Why?"

Izaya stops smiling and doesn't bother to hide the fact that he too wants to know the answer, because Shizuo is too easy to trap. And at the same time, he isn't.

And Izaya just wants this to work. He wants this to work very much...

He gives Shizuo the space to answer him, but nothing comes out of the blonde's mouth. He just frowns with a seemingly confused face.

Izaya sighs, even more annoyed. "I really can't imagine why. You know that I'm not your damsel in distress, right? I see that it's you who doesn't want to leave me alone. Indeed, Shizu-chan, stop frowning like you don't understand at all. It's you who doesn't want to let go off me. Admit it. You get off on our little fights, don't you? Stop pretending that you're not a monster and that you care because, just like I thought, you're nothing like my beloved humans, Shizu-chan."

It was true. Humans are selfish and greedy and all they fight for are themselves. That's why playing with humans is easy. Playing with Shizuo is different.

Izaya watches as the brute's jaw drops and his eyes widen in complete shock. One might think that his plan to make Shizuo fall in love with him is crumbling down with Izaya's evil words, but the informant can't afford letting Shizuo slip away from him in ignorance!

The informant can feel his emotions take over. No. Just no.

Izaya averts his face away from Shizuo as his shoulders start shaking involuntarily.

This might ruin everything, but it seems it's already too late, so he might just go with the flow. Maybe a little bit of honesty would help?

"That's right. I don't understand the reason why you hadn't killed me when you had the chance. And right now, because you could if you really wanted, couldn't you? And I can't understand the reason why you saved me just moments ago, either. And, judging by your facial expression, you can't understand it, either," Izaya continues, almost angrily and walks closer towards the blonde to shove him with his hands.

The blonde staggers back a little due to his surprise, but Izaya keeps pressing him. "So tell me, Shizu-chan. Why won't you just let me die?!" Izaya wants to ask, but it comes out as a half-scream.

Both stare at each other in a complete daze, and honestly, Izaya doesn't dare to speak any more.

Thinking about it, maybe he slipped just a little more than he had wanted. He frowns and folds his arms in annoyance.

He rushed it and now he needs to start over from square one. But first, he needs to calm down. After that, he's going to have to compose himself again and reaffix his poker face. That'll work. He has to try to take everything that's happened into account and get the situation under his control again.

Well, at least now he knows he was wrong. That he could never get tired of Shizuo.

But why must Shizu-chan be so frustrating?

Why can't he just fall in love with him already?

* * *

Everything comes back to Shizuo. The talk he had with Celty. The feelings he had when he wasn't able to see the ugly bastard's face for days. And most off all – the feelings he had when Izaya left him when he told him he hated him every chance he could get. That would be understandable in other situations, but not with them.

They were different.

Shizuo watches Izaya's frantic outburst. He has never seen him like this before. Is he angry that Shizuo just saved his life? _What the fuck?_

As Shizuo stares at Izaya's face, he realizes just how close they are. Immediately, he takes a step back. "Woah, Flea. Didn't realize you were that desperate for me to kill you," Shizuo replies and runs a hand through his hair hastily.

"I'm not. I'm just confused," the informant turns back to face him while flinging his arms around in annoyance.

"Calm down, Flea. I hate to break this to you, but I'm even more confused. So don't expect any answers from me. And while we're at it, since when do you get confused?"

"Stop it, Shizu-chan. You know what I'm trying to say..."

"Actually? No, I don't. You were the one who started this. You were the one who ran away from me," Shizuo raises his eyebrows. He didn't mean for it to sound like that, but he can't help but wonder how long they will continue in this pointless hiding game.

"Are you stupid? I run away from you all the time," Izaya scoffs and raises an eyebrow.

"I didn't mean it like that, Flea. And what was that with the gang, by the way? They beat you up and now you look like shit. Just how the fuck did you let that happen?"

"Are you stupid?! There were just too many of them, Shizu-chan," Izaya sighs.

"Of course. But you manage to get away from me all the time, so what's your excuse? Or are you suddenly that incapable?"

"That's because you're you. And you're just one and so easy to piss off..." the informant shrugs, because it apparently should have been obvious to Shizuo without asking.

"Well, you've been doing pretty well at not pissing me off the last three weeks. So..." Shizuo struggles with how to continue, but doesn't turn away. He doesn't want to admit that he was thinking about the informant longer than necessary.

"Have you been counting, Shizu-chan?" Izaya seems to catch on Shizuo's sudden nervousness as he continues to smile like an idiot.

This makes Shizuo laugh out loud because of course he would notice. Idiot. However, he decides to continue answering the informant's inquiries.

"Shut up, Flea. And to answer you previous question; I don't know why I saved you, but I know why I didn't kill you. I don't care that you think I'm a monster because I don't care about your impression of me. _I_ know that I'm not a monster and _I_ don't want to kill people. Not even the likes of you."

"The likes of me?"

"Exactly. You're scum. But back then, when I said I want you to disappear..." Shizuo starts, but doesn't quite finish as he notices Izaya's confused gaze.

"Yeah?" the informant stops smiling and suddenly, he's way too serious.

Shizuo frowns. "Yeah, well... I didn't really mean that. I just want you to stop being so fucking meddlesome. So can you just stop hiding already?"

Izaya looks to the ground in something resembling timidness. Or maybe regret. Shizuo can't quite put his finger on it, because this hasn't happened before.

For a while, Shizuo thinks he's not going to hear the answer, but when Izaya looks up to look at Shizuo's face again, the smirk is back on his face. "I see. That's a big mistake, Shizu-chan. Because now that I don't have to avoid you anymore, I'm free to do whatever I want in Ikebukuro again. I'm glad we've talked this out. More or less. I understand that you decided to peacefully accept yourself, but you're delusional. It led you to convince yourself that you don't want to kill me. But it doesn't mean that I have to do the same.."

Izaya reaches out for his knife in his pocket, but finds nothing. He looks at Shizuo in confusion.

"Missing something?" Shizuo asks mockingly as he remembers Izaya's favourite knife is hidden in his vest and brings it out to show it to the informant.

Izaya scowls when he notices the object in his hands and it's Shizuo's turn to smirk.

"Bastard," is Izaya's only answer before he runs away from the flying blade.

"IZZAYAA!" Shizuo can't help but scream the flea's name, gritting his teeth in mock anger.

* * *

Izaya laughs madly as he's being chased by Shizuo, and the bodyguard does the same.

Honestly, Shizuo is glad everything is back to normal. Kind of. He thought he could get away with ignoring Izaya in return. It was well-deserved as the informant had been doing the same for what felt like a very long time. But apparently, that was just in a spur of the moment thing, because here they are, chasing after each other again.

A warm breeze tickles Shizuo's cheek as he runs.

They almost fly through the streets, but Shizuo takes a moment to look up at the sky and realize it's almost morning. The orange and yellow are mixing with the last remaining bits of dark the night had to offer, and the stars are slowly disappearing between the clouds.

Shit. Going to work today will be pretty exhausting.

 _Time to go home,_ thinks Shizuo to himself, slightly disappointed. He was enjoying this, to tell the truth. And he suspected that Izaya felt the same.

The blonde decides to stop following after Izaya, but as he turns to leave, he realizes the informant had already stopped running before him.

He's standing on a nearby rooftop.

Shizuo takes cautious steps towards him. He observes Izaya looking at the sky just like Shizuo did moments ago. His expression looks a little lost again, and his eyes are blank. But the way his hair is tossed around in front of his eyes by the soft morning breeze, probably clouding his vision, catches Shizuo's attention.

Izaya turns his head back to the blonde and flashes a smile at him.

Shizuo's belly suddenly flutters and he blushes – which almost never happens. He resists the urge to turn away at the new sight. This is a different smile than the evil smirk Shizuo is accustomed to. His eyes are smiling too, and it makes him look younger. Enemies don't smile like that at you, right?

"Izaya? Are you okay?" Shizuo breaks the silence.

"No. I'm not." Izaya answers honestly and Shizuo is caught off guard again. The informant then looks at him straight in the eyes, and Shizuo has to turn away from his gaze before it burns him.

"And it's because of you," Izaya finishes.

"..."

Shizuo is at a loss for words.

The air suddenly feels so different as Shizuo starts to fidget with his hands. He doesn't know what else to do and he can't exactly bring himself to look at Izaya right now.

"What? Why? What are you talking about, Flea?" Shizuo asks finally and forces himself to look up at Izaya's face. He registers as the soft smile disappears too quickly, and he can't stop himself from feeling a little disappointed.

"Nothing. It's almost morning, you should go to sleep," Izaya answers plainly and waves a dismissive hand at the blonde.

"What? Stop trying to act all mysterious already and just answer me! You can't just say stuff like that and then send me to bed!" The bodyguard protests angrily, feeling helpless. He thought this would be over...

"I can, and I just did," Izaya retorts, and turns to jump down without so much as a goodbye. Not that they ever bothered with goodbyes, but Shizuo is caught up in another wave of disappointment that he really shouldn't feel when Izaya disappears behind the roof.

Still, the blonde quickly runs after him as another _What?_ dies on his lips. He makes an attempt to bring him back to the roof, but as expected, it's too late. Izaya is already running away through the streets, jumping on the parked cars and vans without missing a step, his black jacket waving after him. And then, as he takes another turn, he's gone. Again.

Just when will this stop? Shizuo sighs. Well, there is nothing he can do about it now. Worrying won't help anything and he's too tired to think much about it.

He turns his gaze back to the morning sky and momentarily regrets chasing after Izaya for this long when he notices the sun rising.

Shizuo steps back from the edge of the roof and prepares to head back home. He jumps back down and almost falls of off the balcony in surprise because... Are those his doors?

Oh.

Shizuo looks around and realizes he's back at his apartment. He didn't realize they were going this way. But hell, he's not going to complain!

He proceeds to climb to his front door and brings out his keys to let himself in. Once he's inside, he rests his back against the wall and finally thinks about today's events.

So, he's back to his enemy status with Izaya... Probably. At the same time, Izaya knows Shizuo is not really a threat in a way. Plus, he still doesn't really know what exactly is going on in that crazy head.

Shizuo sighs, confusion written all over his face as he takes off his shoes. Is that good or bad? He doesn't dare to guess the answer.

He decides to wonder about it in the morning. For now, he should really take a shower. His hands are filthy from blood and dirt, his clothes are torn and totally damaged beyond repair, which he really should have expected.

He's still pissed off at the sight.

He mumbles a quiet _Fucking flea, just what are you thinking in that twisted little mind of yours_ as he scrubs his hands and face clean, deciding to hold off on a shower until after he gets some sleep. He then dumps the destroyed clothes into trash and changes into his pajamas before flopping himself to his bed and covering himself with blankets.

Before falling asleep, he stops to think about the flea one more time, when a realization hits him.

 _"You can't just say stuff like that and then send me to bed!"_

 _"I can, and I just did."_

Shizuo chased him and Izaya led the way.

And he brought Shizuo home.

* * *

 **Notes:** It looks like our Shizu-chan is finally falling for _someone_..  
Thank you for stopping by and reading! ;)


	5. I don't want to care, so how about you?

"Bye, Tom," Shizuo says, trying to hide the irritation in his voice, turning his attention to a mirror on the wall.

Tom replies with a wave of his hand, "Bye, and try to get some sleep, okay? You've been yawning the whole day!" When he leaves the office, Shizuo fixes his vest and finally lets out a frustrated groan.

He was right when he thought waking up would be painful. It was. He barely slept at all when his alarm woke him up too early in the morning, reminding him that he had work. It didn't help that all he dreamed about was an annoying flea bastard. It was getting on his nerves, and it's to no good when he's nervous.

The blonde sighs uncomfortably and kicks the trash bin next to his foot. He begins to regret it the second he does, though, when its contents spill on the floor.

With a defeated look on his face, he grumbles and bends down to pick up the scattered trash with a face of disgust. All this garbage just reminds of Izaya. Disgusting filthy little flea. Fuck him and his mind games. Shizuo won't let himself be manipulated by him.

Once he's done picking up, he slides his fingers into the vest and brings out Izaya's address.

Is he really thinking about visiting him?

Whatever was happening last night, he needs to find out... There needs to be something behind all of this! And Shizuo swears he's going to get to the bottom of it. After all, that's the only way to avoid getting caught up in Izaya's sick game and let him win.

Shizuo stands up and closes his eyes, putting little pieces together while trying to make sense of everything, even just a little bit.

But all he can manage to find are more unanswered questions. First of all, Izaya almost got himself killed. He only cares about himself, so how was that of any use to him?

Secondly, Izaya said he is confused about something. But what could it mean? Confused about what?

As far as Shizuo knows, he has never done anything to deliberately confuse Izaya, _unlike_ Izaya. He just said he won't go as low as to kill him. And that was only after his talk with Celty, and he's still not even sure about that!

In addition, he said the whole situation is happening because of Shizuo and he got mad when he saved him from being beaten to fricking pulp by that gang. It's true that _that_ was unexpected of him, but the idiot was acting weird way before that.

Okay, so he might have confused the flea after all. Which should make him feel more victorious, yet...?

And that stupid smile! Yesterday, on the rooftop.

Shizuo felt as if he was lost in a dream... although a very weird one. The flea was smiling so softly as if he really was innocent. Shizuo scoffs before squeezing and crushing the empty can he had in his hand.

He stands up with a furious frown. It was probably only to confuse him more, so he lets that one slide. But it still doesn't make sense.

 _Fuck._

Shizuo kicks the bin again, but this time he doesn't bother to clean it up as he walks out of the office, way too angry.

* * *

 _There is no other choice but to face Izaya as soon as possible, before he'll have the chance to do something wicked again,_ Shizuo realizes bitterly as he gets home and puts away his sunglasses. _He can't let the flea get away with another evil plan to ruin everything._

He feels more determined at that thought… And also a little bit happier. He slips his hands into his pockets and starts whistling at the cheerful idea of finally punching some sense into Izaya. _Just wait for me, Flea… Who is going to save you from me?_

Shizuo picks up his glasses again with a delighted smile and exits his apartment. When he's out of the building, the warm sun hits his face as he heads straight for the nearest train station. He has decided to catch the first train to Shinjuku to finally put an end to this whole painfully irritating ordeal.

After finding an empty seat, Shizuo waits for the train to move. As he looks out of the window and observes Izaya's "beloved humans" in the city, a distressing thought hits him - What _exactly_ is he about to do when he gets there?

He hasn't thought about that.. What should he do once he gets to Izaya's place, or what to say to him? Is he even home yet? It's afternoon now, so there is a chance he might not.

Shizuo stops to scoff. Such a stupid thought… He's overthinking this. It's not even that big of a deal. If he has to wait for Izaya to get home, so be it.

But as soon as the droning voice in the train declares they have left the Ikebukuro station, every reason Shizuo had for meeting with the flea suddenly disappears. And after just fifteen minutes of the ride, Shizuo's previously cheerful mood disappears as well. He fights the urge to get out at the next stop and turn back around as he looks around at the unfamiliar streets passing by outside the window. The closer he gets to Izaya's part of the town, the more nervous he gets. And just what is that unpleasant feeling cutting at his insides?

Shizuo tries to get a hold of himself as he takes the necessary steps off the train in Shinjuku. His stomach feels uncomfortable and his mind is whirling but he takes a deep breath as he tells himself it's okay. It's just Izaya and Izaya is an idiot, right?

He stops outside the station, looking up at a tall, intimidating skyscraper. He's here.

Shizuo sighs deeply. Of course the flea lives in a huge fucking apartment building across from this massive building. Not to mention that it really looks expensive and is no doubt luxurious… Well, fuck him.

Fuck Izaya. He dares to say he's confused? Shizuo is standing right in front of his place, not really knowing what to do next. So, _he_ should be the confused one – he, at least, has the right!

As something resembling a blush creeps onto Shizuo's face, he stretches a finger to press against the button on Izaya's bell. _It's too early for failure, don't lose it, Shizuo!_ The blonde nags at himself and tries not to punch a hole in the wall. _There is no reason to hesitate, so what's wrong with me?!_

He runs a hand through his hair quickly and wipes a little bit of sweat from his forehead. He turns on his spot, away from the bell. _I really hate you, Izaya..._

After a few more seconds of pondering whether to just go in and confront the flea, or leave and come back another time, he takes a third option and chooses to smoke instead.

With a cigarette in his mouth, he wanders out of the building and enters a little park next door. From where he's standing, he has a pretty decent view at the building's entrance. However, his gaze turns to look to the sky when the bright sunlight abruptly disappears.

The clouds gather to form a dark mass, and the first drops of rain land on Shizuo's nose.

 _It seriously can't get any worse than this,_ Shizuo complains silently while watching the rain fall down on him. But apparently it can. Because pretty soon, it starts raining so heavily that even his cigarette fizzles out at the amount of rain pouring down on him. Naturally, Shizuo hadn't thought of bringing his umbrella with him, so...

He's going to be forced to hide from the rain in Izaya's apartment, whether he likes it or not. Although it pains him to admit that he's not absolutely sure that he would have really decided to go inside, if not for the storm.

Shizuo stops his walk with a raised eyebrow as he notices someone exiting the building before him. It's the flea's servant. What was her name! Namie? But dammit...Why now?! He will have to hide and wait until she leaves.

After looking around for a bit, Shizuo finds a good spot to conceal himself behind the park's bushes.

It seems as though Namie is waiting for something. Maybe a cab.

The blonde sighs until there's no air left in his lungs.

This is just his luck.

* * *

It's been ten minutes.

Ten fucking minutes, and the woman is still standing there in front of the entrance like an idiot, seemingly waiting for nothing in particular! She's just enjoying the rain! _Great..._ He can't even leave his current position, because she might see him. She obviously took the time to find a special place from where she can stand to see everything around her.

What is she? Izaya's guard dog? And, for an unknown reason, Shizuo doesn't like the possibility of the consequences unfolding if Namie noticed him. She would surely tell Izaya. She would tell him that Shizuo is standing in front of the flea's house, obviously flustered, and is not making an attempt to kill him - to everyone's surprise.

So he just stands there, hidden behind the bushes, looking sad and almost desperate. In a damn storm – that's a pretty pathetic scene to behold. He shouldn't have hesitated in the first place. That way, he wouldn't have to almost come face to face with that woman and hide from her here!

Shizuo sighs tiredly as he decides he can't handle any more of this pathetic experience, and jumps on the closest tree.

He heads for the building and pulls himself up by a window. It's a desperate decision, but he has already wasted his time coming here, and there doesn't seem to be a better option, anyway. Plus, he's soaked.

It's wet and slippery, but Shizuo is no amateur. Although, climbing up the outside of a building in a raging storm is more than dangerous, even for him. He knows he can take a bullet or get run over by a truck, but he's not sure about being struck by lightning.

24th floor? What a pain in the ass. But he's run out of options! The only benefit to how long it takes to climb up that far is that by the time he gets there, the downpour has conveniently come to a stop. Only a few remaining raindrops sprinkle down on Shizuo's cheeks as he hangs on to a ledge of someone's balcony.

The flea is inside, at his desk, coffee in his one hand, mouse in the other, and Shizuo freezes.

From his place on the ledge, he's able see Izaya working at his laptop, looking almost carefree. This past month, Izaya seemed very frustrated and, as he said, confused. Inexplicably, It felt kind of refreshing to see him like this again.

Shizuo spots a smile on his face. Or an evil grin. He can't exactly figure it out with the splattered raindrops on the cold glass, but still... Why isn't he coming in? Why is he observing the informant through the window like a damn stalker?

Just as the blonde decides to finally move again, the raven-haired man abruptly turns around on his office chair and immediately sees Shizuo on the other side of the window. For a moment, they lock eyes, and he has to blink a few times in confusion. Izaya looks completely surprised and almost drops the cup in his hand after seeing him.

Who wouldn't be surprised? It's not like Shizuo was just casually cleaning the windows for him...

Even so, Shizuo finds himself way more startled as he forgets where he is and panics. His hand slips and he has to let go of the ledge he was hanging onto against his will, but that's enough to send him flying down.

A breeze runs over Shizuo's body. People say that in these types of situations, time slows down as your life flashes before your eyes. They lied. It was the opposite – his fingers slipped way too quickly. Goosebumps appeared on his skin, and he suddenly feels an aching in his abdomen as if he's underwater, making him take a sharp breath.

And the last thing he sees is Izaya stretching out his hand for him as his mouth opens in another surprise.


End file.
